Our House
Charity Concert May 27th 1999
For Glasgow Braendam Link And Braendam Family House

For the Deacon Blue reunion gig at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on the 27th May 1999, each band member was asked to write a short paragraph about their lives after Deacon Blue.Here's what they had to say.

Ricky Ross
It's hard to put 5 years into a short paragraph but here are some highlights:
Playing solo at the Mean Fiddler in Dublin, going to the opening night of "On The Line" at Dundee Rep - the most powerful night at a theatre ever,  watching my third daughter come into the world, going to Disneyland with my older daughters -"Daddy this is the happiest day of my life!!", watching the results of the referendum in September 1997, witnessing the victory of Dundee United in the Scottish Cup Final the day after the last Deacon Blue show...(yes I was in the pie queue when the goal went in!), touring with Cappercaille - I got to watch them every night and ride in their bus the next day -thank you all.
Musically I've had great fun playing with lots of different Musicians and done a lot of nights on my own.

I've often been an hour or so into a show and longed to see some familiar faces round me and hear the count in to Loaded...tonight I'm getting the chance again and I'm really looking forward to it.

I've chatted to loads of people round the country who seemed to have enjoyed my show but often ask the same question: When's the band getting back together? Tonight I hope some of those questioners will enjoy the show as much as I will.
Lorraine McIntosh
In two hundred words, write about life since Deacon Blue! No! How about a list of some achievements and failures?

Failed to find life post Deacon Blue as easy to adapt to as I thought I would.Missed the band, Missed the laughs and Missed the music.

Found working with different musicians on my own songs difficult and inspiring,Had another baby, definately difficult and inspiring,Acted for the first time in my life in My Name Is Joe, a great experience, continuing to act in various other projects, some difficult some.....finally have reaches the point of having my own band, along with a collaborator Brian Docherty.The band are called Cub, come and see us, even if we sound nothing like Deacon Blue.Some say you can't go home again, well I think you can, even if its only for a little while.Doing this gig will be like going home and it will be so good to see you all again.Thanks for coming.
James Prime
The last couple of concerts were something of a strain,It seems strange looking back now but I can recall being mega emotional at the second to last night at the Barrowlands and as cold as ice on the last night.I never really believed it until people started asking me.I got so tired of saying the same thiings.

Yes we all agreed it was time to call it a day.Yes we all wanted to go off and do our own thing.No, we had not fallen out with each other.

 I went scarpering back and managed to land a job with an enormous theatre thing called 'The Big Picnic' and then spent two years in France with 'Johny Hallyday' doubled in weight, got  married, bought a dog, settled down and gernerally enjoyed the 'real things' that you missed when you were all away.Now I am in charge of setting up 'SMART' the new School of Music and Recording Technology, to be based in Ayr.As part of the fund raisng I held a charity concert last year which Ricky,Lorraine,Dougie and myself played some DB songs to a packed house.I think that we had an inkling that if we did another show then it might go well.I didn't realise that we were still popular but when I heard that we had sold out in an hour and a half my socks were blown clean off.I am now, currently searching for a new pair of socks.
Greame Kelling
During the life of the band if I could have looked into the future and seen myself as I am now - happily married with a beautiful baby son - I probably would have had a good sneer at how boring I'd become.

But, in those days, I rarely thought of the future.The present was the only thing that mattered and making a nonsense of it was a full time occupation.

Age, however has granted me the wisdom to see the error of my ways.So when Ricky asked If I would be willing to get back together again with the rest of the guys in order to raise money for a good cause I of course said, "well...probably".In order to rewrite history properly you really have to have been there at the time.With that spirit of careful abandom in mind, I'm glad you made it and we'll try not to trample on too many memories
Ewen Vernal
Well, well -who'd have thought it? I suspected that this day would dawn at some point - but the last five years have gone by so quickly, that last Barrowland's gig (May 1994?) seems like only yesterday!
Playing music is about the only thing I can do (no insurance sales or bookshop work here!) - so the last five years have been spent recording and touring with, amongst others, Fish, Hue And Cry, Horse, James Grant and Capercaille - various jazzy type things - weddings, barmitzvahs, busking- whatever!

Rehearsals have been going really well, and I think everybody is looking forward to playing the songs again - especially for such a worthy and important cause.

I hope conciderable funds will be raised for Braendam House, and that its work in a vital area continues to be a success.
Dougie Vipond
Wednesday 14th April 1999 is a day I'll remember for a long time.It has been almost 5 years since all the members of the band were last together in one room and almost 5 years since I've played the tunes.

Would we get on? would it sound good? would I still remember the tunes? But I needn't have worried, it was as if we had been together the day before.

In 1994 when we had finished our greatest hits tour at the Barrowlands I had already secured the job at Scottish Television presenting their arts programme - A job on Scotland Today as music and arts corresspondent soon followed but a call from the BBC brought my short stay at STV to an end.I spent the next three years presenting The Big Country in which I got to indulge in a myriad of odd activities including parachuting, cheese making and scuba diving.During that time I was offered a job on the BBC's holiday programme which I continue to present.Musically I have been playing in a band with ex Danny Wilson, Kit Clark called The Swiss Family Orbisson and we released our debut album in February of last year.
And so to this gig, Ricky called and told me that everyone else had agreed to do the show.I think that is what he did to everyone! I must confess to not knowing too much about  Braendam buts its something that Ricky has been involved with for years and its important for us to get back together for a good cause rather than just cashing in on our past success.
Enjoy the show.I know I will.